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| Emily Peters has sent me 3 seperate emails asking when I am going to update my xanga blog. So, here I am....updating. I leave for Europe/Costa Rica in 2 days, really one and a half days and I am a bit stressed. If you would see my room. Jessica may not believe me on this, but I have gotten pretty neat in my old age. I like things to have their place. I like my floor to be free from those black pesky things that always end up in your carpet even though you have no idea what they are. I like to not have to touch dust when I open my jewelry box. Right now, all of those things are wrong with my room. See, I have been living out of a suitcase since school ended a little over a month ago, and I have to unpack so I can repack for Europe and I just don't feel like it. I feel like watching my Tivo. I feel like having a party to tell all my friends bye. But, I can't do either (cause my suitcase is blocking my view to my Tivo and my house is too dirty to invite people over. So, I am writing a blog for Emily. Summer has been great! I have spent a lot of time with family. I have gone fishing, tanning, swimming, played putt putt, drove a big ol boat, eaten good food, sang karaoke, and recorded an album. I still haven't gone to Blue Bayou (but I am confident that I will get the chance). Let's talk about the album. Crispy and Kristen (The Harmonizers - check out their myspace. It is something like www.myspace/theharmonizerssavethechildren). Last summer I somehow became The Harmonizer's vocal coach. If you knew either one of these people, you would realize what a daunting task that is. So this summer, when it was time to record their album.....I was summoned to be not on the vocal coach, but the producer and master musician. It was an interesting week. Great times, hard work! I had to step myself up. I like to sing. I like to be in the spotlight. I am not. I only played music and Crispy and Kristen sing so loud that you can barely hear the music. But, I think I did a good job on the music and I was proud of myself for being more than OK being behind the scents. Now, if The Harmonizers make it onto Regis and Kelly and I don't get to go....I might be a tad bit pissed off. But, I guess I can save that resentment until the moment arises. While I am on this point, let me say this...I was pleasantly surprised by Crispy and Kristen. Kristen's voice significantly improved over the course of the week. I really think that if she practiced a lot, she could have a decent voice. And I have never seen a person try harder at singing than Charles Ray. He gave it his best shot. Does it sound like a Lionel Ritchie/Dianna Ross duet?? No - but...I promise you this. You buy that CD and not only will you be entertained, but you might walk away feeling a little closer to Jesus! Best part of the studio experience: Going on strike for 1/3rd of the profits. :o) "No play until Equal Pay" Ok - I am taking 40 children to Europe. PRAY for me, I will need it!!! | | |
| I went to a John Mayer concert a couple of nights ago. I discovered John Mayer while on NET. Obviously we didn't have a whole lot of social stuff going on. I was one of the few who had a cell phone. So Team #1, Team #4, and Team #3 (which was our team) would secretly talk. (Yes, we would get into trouble for comunicating with other teams while on the road). Anyway, we all fell in love with John Mayer at the same time and would call each other to discuss his songs. One of my personal favorites was....and now I am drawing a blank on the name....I think it is called Living in Rhyme. I loved the line "might be a quarter life crisis." I am getting to my point. Probably since graduating from college I've felt like I was in the midst of a "quarter life crisis." I didn't know where to live. I didn't exactly know what job I wanted. I didn't know who I really wanted as my friends. I didn't know what kind of adult I wanted to become. But now I really feel like its all coming together somehow. I am happy! I have friends. I have plenty of invites to social engagements. I am enjoying my relationship with God (my only complaint is that there are not enough daily afternoon masses in BR and I am too lazy to wake up in the morning to go at 6 AM). I am trying to find (and I think accomplishing) a blend of a life of service, responsibility and yet still a whole lot of passion for things. Anyway, I am rambling. I just wanted to say that I know that I haven't written in a while....but it is because I am doing well and I don't have a lot to vent about. There are still plenty of ways you can pray for me though. I don't feel like disclosing them to the world...so ask if you need details or just say pray for Renee's intentions. This has been pretty boring so I am gonna leave you with funny tidbits from class: These are mostly words from Stephen......dear child. Yesterday he said, "Ms. Laborde, Ms. Laborde...I just can't concentrate." "Why Stephen?" I said. "Well Ms. Laborde, your nose is so red and pointy.....I just can't look at anything else." :o) Later he went on to tell me that I looked like a sumo wrestler...but just a couple of pounds less. I told him to stop talking to me cause he was saying hurtful things. He said....no Ms. Laborde....that's a good thing. You have lost weight. You look GOOD! :o) Gotta go make diaromas of Scientific envirnoments. Bye! | | |
| 2005 was probably one of my hardest years. 2006 was a year of transition, and here I sit at the beginning of 2007 and I am excited! It has been a fantastic year so far and I just have such a good feeling about what this year may hold. I conquered a few big goals in 2006....visited a new continent...bought a house....31 days of consistent, meaningful prayer......I feel like this year might be the year of the rewards from those efforts. That's not to say that I am looking for any rewards. I think I have already found them. I love my job! My kids make me laugh and give me hugs and tell great stories. (I found a note that a student of mine wrote today to another student. He said that he hated this other kid. I gave him this big lecture on why its bad to say that we hate people. I asked him why he hated Victor. He said that he is jealous of Victor. Victor steals his thunder. I laughed about that all day. They are great kids!) Other rewards: I own a home....I had just figured that I would live in BR til I got tired of paying rent and then have to move back to Marksville where I could actually afford to buy something. Nope, 26 and I own a home. My roommate and I are really getting along. I am so thankful for her. I met the girl on the freaking internet. It could have been bad. God took care of it! I am really starting to make friends...can't replace some of the ones I have lost...but I am working on some standins. There is a no smoking law in resturants.....this is SUCH a nice thing! Poor febreeze....they are gonna loose some business. One of my 5th graders is setting me up (I don't know if that is a good or bad thing). My point is.....I just know that 2007 is going to be a great year. I am excited for it....too see what God has in store. I am excited for the new adventures that may arise. Hopefully one of them will be a cruise. Anyone up for it? | | |
| I just have to paint a picture of what my last 45 minutes were like. Unfortunately it is not going to come across well in type. I will try my best. I am sitting in 4th grade math. It is 51 days til the LEAP test. These kids are low. Ms. Childress is trying to explain fractions to decimals...hard topic for anyday, but today is the Wednesday before Christmas break. Even more, its the last full day of the year. Even more, tomorrow is the Christmas party. So, to say that the kids are would up would be a huge understatment. So.....I have 3 kids in this class. Stephen (little black boy who is probably the funniest person I have ever met in my life and the clearest case of ADHD I have ever seen. This kid bounces off of every wall and is LOUD); Kimberly (poor clueless child who has this incredible temper and this unfailing ablity to do exactly what she wants. She is never on task); and Victory (my favorite student this year. He is an angle, but slow). Anyway, so Kim wants to get out of her seat. She has already gotten out of her seat 3 times in five minutes. I tell her that if she gets out of her seat again, she will get a referral. Well, this makes her mad. She balls up a piece of paper (keep in mind the teacher is teaching right now),....she balls up a piece of paper...then another...then another. She say...i have trash now, can I throw it away. I tell her no. Then she loudly interupts the class to ask Ms. Childress if she can throw somethign away. Ms. Childress says no. So, she takes the paper and starts stabbing it with her pencil, hands raised in the air. She then crumples and uncrumples...crumples and uncrumples. She then starts tearing it into tiny pieces. All the kids are whispering to her...throw it away...throw it away. She YELLS back...I can't. Kim then gives up on the papers and starts spitting at people...Ms. Childress included. While this is going on my other darling, Stephen decides that he can't work because he has a broken pencil point. He gets up to go sharpen his pencil. He drops his pencil on the floor. Instead of bending down to pick it up Stehpen decides to reach through his legs, butt up in the air to grab the pencil. Well, he reaches to far and does this little flip thing, falls on his head, and onto the floor on top of his pencil. Well, instead of getting up and looking for his pencil. Stephen does this little push himself off the ground....spin around in the air and land back on the floor thing. He does this three times (the teacher is still teaching). No one is paying attention to Ms. Childress. Everyone is either laughing at Stephen or yelling about Kimberly. This is just one fraction of my day. If Friday can only come...its funny stuff though! | | |
| If you notice last night, one of the last lines of my blog about hopelessness said something to the effect of maybe all I need in my life is some Lionel Ritchie and some dancing. Well, God must want me to be hopeful cause here is what happened today. I got off of work to check my voicemail. Anyone who knows me knows I love voicemails. Anyway, I had a voicemail from Dale (who I hadn't talked to in a while). Guess what is voicemail was.....it was Dale singing me a Lionel Ritchie song....no words...just Dale and the song. Dale doesn't even read my blog. He says he won't subscribe. Later as I was playing putt putt golf (I got a hole in one by the way)......Matt leaves me a voice message. His voice message told me to turn on the TV because Lionel Ritchie was singing Christmas Carols. Matt doesn't read my blog. So......I am going to take this as two signs that the Lord does know what is going on and has a plan for me. I just need to be patient...even though its hard....very hard! Some of my hope is starting to come back...but keep praying. About putt putt: I am trying to make these new friends. I have a lot of friends in BR but I don't have a group of friends that I can just go to on a random Saturday night and say...hey....let's do something. I had that in Alex and I miss it. Here in BR, I have to make plans. I have to schedule people. We have to go out to bars or events. I want some common lower key friends. So, I think I found some. I am trying to get them to the point where they think of me when they are having their low key hang out time. So, we hang out every Wednesday night. Typically we play cards...which is right up my alley. Tonight I conviced everyone to go play putt putt. It wasn't as drawn out and dramatic as I would have liked. We only had about 45 minutes to play. It was a bit rushed. Anyway, I worry that my personality is a bit too much for them. I joke a lot. I am sarcastic. I get way too excited about simple things like getting free tokens with pizza or playing winning a hole in one (by the way....we all got FREE games of putt putt tonight). Anyway I guess my point is that I am worried that my personality is a bit too much for these people...that they think I am too loud or too ditzy or too much......... There is nothing I can do about it. I like my personlaity for the most part. I am just gonna be me and not worry if they like it or not. What if I aggravate them though? You can't really tell somebody that........I just miss my Alexandria friends sometimes. They liked me...no questions asked....or at least they did a good job of pretending to like me. :o) I think these poeple like me....they just probably think I am very wierd. Oh well....I am! | | |
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